How we scaled Stripe from 4 to 94 employees

9d8b3e8c6babffda3cf50cc1ff8c871e?s=47 Greg Brockman
April 02, 2014
Technology
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670

How we scaled Stripe from 4 to 94 employees

My talk from BV.IO 2014.

9d8b3e8c6babffda3cf50cc1ff8c871e?s=128

Greg Brockman

April 02, 2014
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Transcript

  1. How we scaled Stripe from 4 to 94 employees Greg

    Brockman Stripe CTO // @thegdb

  2. You only get to pick one top priority

  3. None

  4. Tier 1: 4 → 8

  5. Tier 1: 4

  6. “Learn it on the job” is just a nice way

    of saying “make it up as you go” Tier 1: 4

  7. How Stripe got its name Tier 1: 4

  8. Communication, communication, communication Tier 1: 4

  9. In January 2011, we went on a “hack trip” to

    Rio Tier 1: 4

  10. Tier 1: 4

  11. Tier 1: 4

  12. Tier 1: 4

  13. Friends make great candidates, if you can get the timing

    right Tier 1: 4

  14. Tier 2: 8 → 20

  15. Tier 2: 8

  16. First time we didn’t magically know what everyone else was

    working on Tier 2: 8

  17. The Great API Debate Tier 2: 8

  18. Tier 2: 8

  19. Launch was just a month away… ! (for 11 months)

    Tier 2: 8

  20. ISO8583 Night Tier 2: 8

  21. Launch day! Tier 2: 8

  22. Teams as buckets of work Tier 2: 8

  23. CTF Tier 2: 8

  24. Tier 2: 8

  25. Tier 2: 8

  26. Tier 3: 20 → 50

  27. Tier 3: 20

  28. Tier 3: 20

  29. Build vs run Tier 3: 20

  30. Teams as organizational units Tier 3: 20

  31. “Org scaling” meetings Tier 3: 20

  32. First investments in cultural documentation Tier 3: 20

  33. We’re still learning on the job… Tier 3: 20

  34. Tier 3: 20

  35. Tier 3: 20

  36. Tier 4: 50 → 94

  37. Tier 4: 50

  38. Teams as units of identity Tier 4: 50

  39. Organizations have emergent behaviors. Pay attention, and tune the behaviors

    that don’t make sense. Tier 4: 50

  40. Lack of structure used to help us get things done.

    ! Now lack of structure was getting in the way. Tier 4: 50

  41. If it’s not written down, it’s lost Tier 4: 50

  42. Tier 4: 50

  43. Tier 4: 50

  44. Team hacktrips: Hawaii, Mexico, Montreal, North Dakota… Tier 4: 50

  45. Tier 5: 94 → ??

  46. Talk to lots of people who have done it Tier

    5: 94

  47. High risk, high reward system improvement projects Tier 5: 94

  48. Will let you know in a year Tier 5: 94

  49. Greg Brockman Stripe CTO // @thegdb